The 9 Best Liquid Lipsticks We Tested from Revlon, Covergirl, NYX Professional Makeup, and More — All Under $15

Best Overall

Revlon Liquid Lipstick

$10 at Amazon $10 at Target $10 at Walmart

Nearly all the liquid lipsticks we tested were matte formulas, but our best overall stands out for its satin finish. It combines a cream lipstick's natural, flexible feel with a matte's vibrant, opaque color, making it no surprise that it scored big for comfort and pigment.

Our tester said the buttery texture felt like cake frosting without the scent or taste. She loved how her fuchsia purple lips looked after a seamless application with the wide, flat applicator. It didn't emphasize or settle into her lip creases, even after drying for 10 minutes. It held up relatively well, though it did leave almost a full imprint when blotted with a tissue and smeared when she rubbed her hand across her mouth and face for our smudge test. 

Shades: 24 | Finish: Satin | Size: 0.17 ounces | Key Ingredients: Black currant seed oil, vitamin E

Best Smudge-Proof

Revlon ColorStay Limitless Matte Liquid Lipstick

$10 at Target $11 at Walmart $11 at Walmart

Revlon’s newest matte liquid lipstick is like a permanent Sharpie for lips — more so than its Satin Ink formula, though in fewer but equally vivid liquid shades. Our tester knew from the first few minutes that it would last all day after her dark plum lips passed the smudge test and hardly transferred onto a tissue without smearing or feathering. 

Its staying power came at the cost of comfort. For our tester, it felt unnatural and accentuated her lip creases despite containing hydrating ingredients. We found it tolerable but faced the same challenge of scrubbing it (and the faint stain it left behind) off with a makeup wipe. However, this is worthwhile for achieving vibrant, budge-proof lip color, particularly on long, busy days when you don’t have time to worry about touch-ups. 

Shades: 16 | Finish: Matte | Size: 0.17 ounces | Key Ingredients: Triple Hyaluronic Acid, Upcycled Cranberry Extract

Best Glossy

CoverGirl All-Day Lip Color with Topcoat

$9 at Amazon $9 at Target $9 at Walmart

This two-piece lip set received an emphatic near-perfect score, with its hydrating top coat as the surprising secret sauce. It melts onto lips like butter and leaves a natural sheen free of sparkles or stickiness, which I’d describe as similar yet slightly juicier than the finish of the Revlon ColorStay Satin Ink Liquid Lipstick.

The second layer seemed like a nice bonus feature but proved essential since our brick-red lips quickly felt dry and uncomfortable without it. It also prevented smearing or bleeding and kept our color bright, fresh, and hydrated after 10 minutes of smudge tests. We were shocked by how effortlessly both layers lifted without staining or spreading when it came time to wipe our lips clean.

Shades: 11 | Finish: Matte/Satin | Size: 0.13 ounces

Best Matte

Essence 8H Matte Liquid Lipstick

$5 at Amazon $5 at Ulta

For the price of an iced coffee, this is one of the best matte lipsticks we’ve ever tried — and from our testing, it’ll hardly transfer onto said drink straw. Most powdery, shine-free formulas feel dry and tight, but this feather-light texture never settled into our lip creases and felt so comfortable, as if we weren’t even wearing lipstick.

We only needed one pass of Dark Berry to experience its rich opacity, which appeared just as full after blotting with a tissue and our fingertips. However, it left a burgundy-red track across our face and hand during the smear test. It proved somewhat messy to remove as it moved outside our mouth and left a faint color residue, but it was manageable with one to two makeup wipes.

Shades: 9 | Finish: Matte

Best Lightweight

Honest Beauty Liquid Lipstick

$15 at Amazon View on Honest.com

Jessica Alba’s Honest Beauty liquid lipstick wins for its light, wearable texture. Our tester described it as “smooth and buttery,” making it an easy, glide-on application. It felt “really nice” as it settled into her lips for a matte finish so hydrating she’d be comfortable wearing it daily: “It made my lips feel soft and moisturized… without being sticky.” 

Unfortunately, comfort and hydration meant sacrificing budge-proof resistance. The color smudged and transferred onto just about everything, leading us to believe it wouldn’t last its claimed six-hour wear. While we wish this came in more shades, we love that it lends nourishing pigment to dry lips, particularly in colder months.

Shades: 4 | Finish: Matte | Size: 0.12 ounces | Key Ingredients: Avocado oil, hyaluronic acid

Best Long-Lasting

L'Oréal Paris Infallible Matte Resistance Liquid Lipstick

$11 at Target $11 at Walmart $14 at Ulta

Like our best overall pick, this L’Oreal Paris lipstick claims up to 16 hours of wear, and boy, did it prove its staying power. Our tester’s muted pink lips showed minimal color transfer or smudging with “no noticeable feathering or bleeding” around her mouth. I wore it at an outdoor graduation party in 90-degree heat, and it was the only part of my makeup that remained after hours of sweating, drinking, and mingling. 

The packaging is noticeably luxe, and we loved its wide, flat teardrop applicator: The pointed tip made it easy to outline our lips, and the curved edge helped us reach the inner corners. The formula is vibrant, lightweight, and infused with moisturizing hyaluronic acid, though it felt increasingly dry and settled into our lip creases over time. It was also so transfer-resistant that removing it required scrubbing to wipe it off completely. 

Shades: 11 | Finish: Matte | Size: 0.17 ounces

Most Pigmented

NYX Professional Makeup Soft Matte Lip Cream

$7 at Amazon $7 at Target $7 at Walmart

This under-$10 lip cream from NYX Professional Makeup feels lightweight yet packs a hefty punch of color in the best way. In just one swipe, our tester’s lips were vibrantly opaque with bubblegum-pink “Milan,” requiring only a few touch-ups at the corners. The pigment remained “strong” over time and hardly smeared or transferred, which was a surprise — along with how it came off just as easily as it went on. 

I wore it while eating a ciabatta sandwich, and though it appeared slightly less vivid after, my lips remained evenly hued and very much intact. Consider this your go-to for creating a bold matte lip for work or evenings out without needing to sneak off to reapply, though its compact size makes it easy to keep on hand should you need to. 

Shades: 11 | Finish: Matte | Size: 0.27 ounces

Best True Red

Milani Stay Put Liquid Lip Longwear Lipstick

$6 at Target $10 at Walmart $13 at Ulta

Call off your search for a Taylor Swift-inspired, tried and true red lipstick. This Milani liquid formula in “Red Flag” is the best, according to our tester and Dreadon, who explains how reds come in blue, pink, or orange undertones, but this has a neutral base that "sits right in between.”

It had incredibly rich and full-bodied pigment, allowing our tester to get her desired color with just one swipe: “It’s magnetic." Thanks to nourishing ingredients like avocado and vitamin E oil, it had a comfortable, non-drying matte finish and refused to budge. “Ninety-five percent of the product stayed on” after contact with a tissue, her hand, and a coffee cup. 

Shades: 12 | Finish: Matte | Size: 0.10 ounces

Best Color Range

NYX Professional Makeup Smooth Whip Blurring Matte Lip Cream

$8 at Amazon $8 at Target $33 at Walmart

Like the NYX Professional Makeup Soft Matte Lip Cream, the Smoothie Whip Matte Lip Cream is creamy, weightless, and intensely pigmented — enough to cover a dark spot on our tester’s lip — yet comes in more than double the shades. “I love the richness and depth of the color,” our tester shared after three hot-fushia swipes of “Pillow Fight,” adding, “Even if I were to lose some intensity, I’d be happy with the look” without feeling the need to reapply.  

Sadly, it proved less transfer-resistant than its sister formula and others we’ve tried: It smeared a great deal during testing and appeared quite evident when blotted on a tissue. As it dried, it also settled into lip creases. 

Shades: 23 | Finish: Matte | Size: 0.13 ounces | Key Ingredients: Shea and cocoa butter